Understanding Developer Advocacy with Moheeb Zara

Hello Blink Show

Overview
On this episode of the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny welcome special guest, Moheeb Zara. Moheeb is a hacker, roboticist, installation artist, and software engineer. He currently works as a Senior Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he enjoys crafting new projects and generating content for those interested in learning more about AWS. Listeners will hear from Moheeb as he talks about helping businesses leverage their marketing/content strategy.

One Powerful Quote
29:40: “You’re building a better and better product and then you also have a community that’s like, 'Hey, we can also build these tools,' and then, there’s the opportunity for them to build more tools and resources on top of it...when you have those key developers in your community, they become evangelists for you.”

Key Topics

• 1:18: Shawn asks Moheeb about his role and the responsibilities as an evangelist to his product development team. He remarks he has to keep a balance with managing his team and upholding customer interests.
• 5:41: Harris inquires with Moheeb on how he receives consumer feedback. Moheeb mentions various approaches and how his team addresses specific issues.
• 9:39: Shawn and Moheeb discuss how companies provide formal methods to support their internal teams. Moheeb says that it depends on the organization and mentions how AWS operates.
• 14:11: Shawn and Moheeb have a follow up discussion on how companies gather feedback from their users. Moheeb mentions that his favorite are hackathons but notes that corporate driven events take away from the spirit of learning and collaborating. He also notes webinars and talks can be useful tools as well.
• 25:09: Moheeb notes the difference between hackers and business owners and says how the importance of building an inclusive community can be invaluable. Although hard to measure, Moheeb remarks why evangelists can be beneficial to companies.

Guest Information
Moheeb Zara is a hardware hacker, roboticist, installation artist, and software engineer. Currently a Senior Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In the past he has served on the board of HeatSync Labs, Arizona’s first hackerspace, and helped organize South West Maker Fest’s inaugural events. He is also known for being a founding member of the Autonomous Space Agency Network, a science and space art collective known for “the first protest in space”.

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Host Contact Information
http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Special Guest: Moheeb Zara.